Dodge County

General

Population:  37,167
Land area (sq. mi.):  529.07
Population per square mile:  70.3

Race & Age

Race  2020

White:  79.4%
African American:  0.6%
American Indian:  0.4%
Asian:  0.5%
Hispanic:  16.4%
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander:  0.0%
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander:  2.5%

Age  2020

0-17:  24.6%
18-64:  56.4%
65+:  19.0%

Households

Total households:  14,813  2020
With one child:  2,040  2022
With 2+ children:  2,530  2022
With seniors (65+):  3,920  2022

Socioeconomics

Personal income per capita:  $59,352  2021
% of Population in Poverty:  10.6%  2022
# of Housing Units:  16,191  2020
2023 housing unit building permits:  172
Owner-occupied rate:  65.0%  2020
Median home price:  $202,190  Q1 2024

Technology

Access to broadband (100 Mbps via fiber or cable modem):  88.2%  2021

Sources: National Association of Realtors, Nebraska Department of Revenue, Nebraska Legislature, Nebraska Library Commission, U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. Census Bureau (building permits), U.S. Census Bureau (demographics), U.S. Census Bureau (municipalities)

Employment, Schools, and Child Care

Unemployment rate:  2.2%  Sept. 2024

County Employment Website:  https://dodgecounty.nebraska.gov/public-notices

High school graduate or higher:  89.0%  2020

School Districts:  Fremont Public Schools, Howells-Dodge Consolidated Schools, Logan View Public Schools, Scribner-Snyder Community Schools, West Point Public Schools

Bachelor's degree or higher:  19.7%  2020

Community College Service Area:  Metropolitan Community College

Countywide child care capacity:  36 providers; 1,677 children  2020

Find child care:  For a list of child care providers in your zip code, visit Nebraska DHHS or the Nebraska Resource and Referral System.

Dodge County Economy

Annual Gross Domestic Product (GDP):  $2,224,336,000  2022

Nonfarm Small Business Receipts:  $1,449,638,536  2021

Nonfarm Wage Income:  $761,655,000  2022

• Nonfarm small business receipts are reported by partnerships & sole proprietorships and do not include receipts reported by cooperative associations. Nonfarm wage income may include wages earned from Dodge County businesses by commuters or teleworkers residing outside of Nebraska.

Farm & Ranch Commodity Sales Receipts:  $459,623,000  2022

Farm & Ranch Operations (Non-Sales) Receipts:  $17,595,000  2022

• Farm & ranch receipt totals for commodity sales and operations are reported by producers operating principally in Dodge County and include those producers' receipts from production in other counties. The totals do not include receipts from sales and operations in Dodge County reported by producers operating principally in other counties.

Cattle Producers:  156

• Pastureland Cash Rent (avg.):  $64/acre  2024

Crop Producers:  275

• Dryland Cash Rent (avg.):  $229/acre  2024
• Irrigated Land Cash Rent (avg.):  $313/acre  2024

Grain Elevators by Location (bushels capacity):

• Dodge: CSI (5,356,834)
• Fremont: ADM (861,000), ADM (7,744,000)
• (1 bushel = 56 lbs. corn/sorghum, 60 lbs. soybeans/wheat; % max. moisture = 18% beans, 15.5% corn, 14% sorghum/soybeans, 13.5% wheat)

Railroad Miles:  18.16 main, 1.01 side

• Places with Railroad Service:  Ames, Fremont, Inglewood, Nickerson, North Bend, Uehling, Winslow

Farmers Market:  North Bend (NB) Farmers Market (Wednesdays 4:30 - 6:30 PM and Saturdays 9:30 - 11:30 am through mid-August;)

Grain Co-ops and Purchasers:  Cooperative Supply, Central Valley Ag, Frontier

Local Grain Market:  Click for today's grain prices in Dodge County

Electricity Providers:  Burt County PPD, City of Fremont, City of Scribner, City of Snyder, Cuming County PPD, Omaha PPD

Well Locations (Irrigation/Livestock), Soils, Groundwater & Surface Water

Total Irrigation/Livestock Wells:  1,734  2024

Agricultural Wells per Square Mile:  3.28  2024

Surface Water Diversions (Irrigation):  111  2024

Click for real time:

Streamflow data on the Platte River at North Bend

Streamflow data on the Platte River near Fremont

Streamflow data on Logan Creek near Uehling

Streamflow data on Maple Creek near Nickerson

Groundwater level data at Road 19 & Road G (2.5 mi. north of Hooper)

Sources: National Agricultural Statistics Service (USDA), Nebraska Cooperative Council, Nebraska Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education, Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, Nebraska Department of Revenue, Nebraska Department of Transportation, Nebraska Office of the CIO, Nebraska Power Review Board, Nebraska Public Service Commission, U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Energy Information Administration, U.S. Department of the Treasury (IRS), Warehouse and Commodity Management Division (USDA)

2023 Levies and Valuation

County levy rate: $0.2425 per $100 of taxable valuation

County property taxes levied: $13,439,776

Total local government property taxes levied: $86,014,376

Total countywide taxable valuation: $5,542,732,938

Click here for all levy rates in Dodge County

County Levy and Taxation Laws

Levy limits

Since 1996, counties and other political subdivisions have been subject to the levy limits listed in Neb. Rev. Stat. § 77-3442 and Neb. Rev. Stat. § 77-3443.

Statutes and regulations:

Nebraska Revised Statutes (Chapter 77)

Nebraska Administrative Code (Title 350)

Local tax reductions, exemptions, and credits:

Neb. Rev. Stat. § 76-902(5)(a) (Deed "stamp tax" exemption): "The [stamp tax] shall not apply to: ... (5)(a) Deeds between spouses, between ex-spouses for the purpose of conveying any rights to property acquired or held during the marriage, or between parent and child, without actual consideration therefor."

Neb. Rev. Stat. § 77-201(2) (Valuation of agricultural land and horticultural land): "Agricultural land and horticultural land as defined in section 77-1359 shall constitute a separate and distinct class of property for purposes of property taxation, shall be subject to taxation, unless expressly exempt from taxation, and shall be valued at seventy-five percent of its actual value, except that for school district taxes levied to pay the principal and interest on bonds that are approved by a vote of the people on or after January 1, 2022, such land shall be valued at fifty percent of its actual value."

Neb. Rev. Stat. § 77-6703(1) (Tax credit for school district taxes paid): "(1) For taxable years beginning or deemed to begin on or after January 1, 2020, under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, there shall be allowed to each eligible taxpayer a refundable credit against the income tax imposed by the Nebraska Revenue Act of 1967 or against the franchise tax imposed by sections 77-3801 to 77-3807. The credit shall be equal to the credit percentage for the taxable year, as set by the department under subsection (2) of this section, multiplied by the amount of school district taxes paid by the eligible taxpayer during such taxable year."

Sources: Nebraska Department of Revenue

State Senator-Elect: Dave "Woody" Wordekemper

State Senator: Lynne Walz (District 15)

Standing Committees (click for scheduled committee hearings): 

• Education
• Health and Human Services

Special Committees: 

• Education Commission of the States
• Midwest Higher Education Compact

Map and statistics for Legislative District 15

Map of all districts in the Nebraska Unicameral Legislature

Dodge County History

Number of Registered Historic Places: 22

Year Authorized: 1855

Year Organized: 1855

Etymology: Augustus Dodge (U.S. Senator)

     In December of 1853, one of Iowa’s first senators, Augustus Dodge, introduced what would become the Kansas-Nebraska Act, a bill that formally organized Nebraska. Dodge is also the only senator in history who concurrently served in the Senate with his father (Henry Dodge). Two years later, Nebraska's First Territorial Legislature organized the boundaries of the territory's first counties, including Dodge County, which honored Senator Dodge with its name.

     Like many communities close to rivers and streams, the first European inhabitants of Dodge County were trappers, traders, and hunters. One of the earliest communities which sprang up to support traffic along the Platte River was Fremont, named after U.S. general and politician John C. Fremont. Other communities, including North Bend, Hooper, and Scribner, soon followed to support the rapidly growth community; between 1860 and 1890, Dodge County grew by nearly 20,000 residents. Dodge County also became an important early freighting community due to its position along the Mormon Trail and proximity to the Platte River.

     In 1860, Fremont won a special election to become the county seat, though the official records used by the county continued to remain scattered among the homes and offices of the county's elected officials. Eventually, the county constructed a courthouse in 1867 following a wealthy local benefactor's donation of the necessary land. That courthouse would survive until its replacement was constructed in 1890. Then following a fire in 1915, the present courthouse was built.

Highlight an important program in your county in this space! Send an email to:

luke.bonkiewicz@nebraskacounties.org

Local Highlights

License Plate Number:  5

Time Zone:  Central

Number of Veterans:  2,411  2023

Zoned County:  Yes

Number of County-Owned Bridges:  258

Number of County-Owned Dams:  1

Election Data

Voter Turnout:  74.34%  2024

Number of Registered Voters:  22,577  2024

Number of Precincts:  32  2022

Number of Election Day Polling Places:  24  2022

Land Area per Polling Place:  22.63 sq. miles  

Intergovernmental Data

Emergency Mgt. Planning, Exercise and Training (PET) Region: East Central

Natural Resources Districts: Lower Elkhorn NRD, Lower Platte North NRD

State Lands (acres): Dead Timber SRA (200.25), Fremont Lakes SRA (667.41), Powder Horn WMA (284.99)

Sources: Nebraska Department of Transportation, Nebraska Emergency Management Agency, Nebraska Game & Parks Commission, Nebraska Legislature, Nebraska Office of the CIO, Nebraska Secretary of State, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, U.S. Election Assistance Commission, U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (eCFR)